artist profile

Keith Haring

education

Ivy School of Art, Pittsburgh, USA, 1978
School of Visual Arts, New York, USA, 1979

about the artist

1958–1990

Born: Reading, USADied: New York, USA

Singular in its exuberance, optimism, and energy, as well as in its cartoon, graphic design, and graffiti aesthetic, Keith Haring’s art is a supernova of color that coexists in startling permutations and line, tracing his passionate stream of consciousness. The artist drew quickly and accurately, connecting pictograph to pattern, pattern to pictograph, in an all-over composition that sought to communicate to and engage with the masses. Haring worked relentlessly to produce a public art that integrated political commentary and social activism with statements on the institution of art and culture as well as on sexuality. His highly readable, accessible imagery became an effective means to express, convey, and even influence ideas, opinions, and information. Undeniably Pop, Haring’s art was swiftly grouped with that of his contemporaries, such as Andy Warhol, Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and others. The artist was also credited with propelling the movement beyond the American art hub and into the rest of the world. Numerous monographs have been dedicated to his work, always highlighting the contribution he made in demolishing the conventional barricade that distinguished high from low art. An astonishing number of solo shows of his work have been held for the artist all over the world in galleries and museums, and posthumous retrospectives have also taken place in Europe, Australia, Asia, and North and South America.